1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and a system for and method of securely generating and storing a ballot as part of a voting apparatus. In particular, the invention relates to a ballot box assembly for an interactive voting apparatus, as well as the system and method of generating the ballot and conveying it to a secure ballot box.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Providing a reliable and secure method, apparatus and/or system for collecting and counting votes is paramount to a democratic system of government. One method requires a voter to cast their votes by entering their selections into a machine that generates a paper record or ballot, which is then collected and later counted. While the collection of paper ballots is fairly reliable and secure, it does have its problems.
In contemporary voting systems, problems are encountered relating to the accuracy of the ballot. In particular, the generated ballot may not precisely reflect the voter's selections. Also, the voter is not given an opportunity to review the paper ballot generated by the machine, prior to it being deposited in a ballot box. Thus, the voter must trust that the machine will properly record his or her vote.
Also, ballots are traditionally made of paper or some similar material. However, the transfer of such material from the voting machine into the ballot box encounters other problems. Generally, voting machines rely on gravity to “drop” the ballot into the ballot box. Alternatively, a paper handling system inside the voting machine pushes the ballot into the ballot box. Either way, such systems are unreliable since the ballot is prone to getting jammed as it is pushed or otherwise externally forced into the ballot box.
Further, the ballot box itself becomes a security risk if someone can tamper with the contents. In particular, the integrity of the ballot box contents becomes compromised when an unauthorized person is able to either remove ballots from or insert ballots into a ballot box after it is separated from the voting machine. Ballot boxes include simple mechanical covers or doors that close an aperture used for inserting ballots. Such covers or doors can often be opened by poll workers or other non-authorized personnel, thus compromising the integrity of the ballots therein.
There is therefore a need for an efficient, reliable and secure method, apparatus or system for collecting and counting votes, which overcomes the shortcomings found in the prior art as set forth above. Such a method, apparatus or system preferably allows a voter to review their generated ballot before it is deposited within the ballot box. Also, a more reliable method, apparatus or system of depositing ballots within the ballot box should be provided. Preferably, such a method, apparatus or system is capable of keeping the ballot box secure, even after it is separated from the voting machine.